Belgium : New combat vehicles for Defense together with France

New combat vehicles for Defense together with France: enhanced operationality and more European defense

The Council of Ministers today approved the proposal of the Minister of Defense, Steven Vandeput, to initiate a project for the purchase of new combat vehicles for Belgian armed forces, in cooperation with France. With 1.1 billion euros, it is about the largest investment program for the armed forces, announced in the strategic vision of the Minister. This acquisition, in line with the principles of the strategic vision, is accompanied by a revolutionary defense cooperation revolution for our land component. It is the intention to establish a partnership based on identical French and Belgian combat vehicles. The purpose of this partnership is that Belgium and France will have a joint organization, and that the training, training and logistical support will be jointly organized. As stated in the strategic vision, this way, the operational and efficiency of Belgian armed forces can be strengthened and at the same time built on a more European defense.

These new combat vehicles are currently being developed in the French Scorpion program and will replace the current Piranha and Dingo combat vehicles. There will be purchased 60 median combat vehicles of the type "Jaguar" and 417 lightweight "Griffon" combat vehicles, including communication equipment and spare parts. These vehicles will be the basic vehicles for the inter-motorized capacity of the Belgian Defense and will also be used in a reconnaissance and medical version. They represent a huge qualitative step forward and will make the operational effort safer and more efficient. The commissioning of vehicles is scheduled for the period 2025-2030, but it is intended to start shortly with the expansion of the close partnership with France.